Statements on President Biden’s State of the Union Address

“The past year has not been without its headwinds. But tonight, President Biden made a clear and hopeful case that the state of our union remains strong and resilient.”

REPUBLICAN STATE CHAIRMAN BOB HUGIN

“As this country – and New Jersey in particular – faces the worst inflation and affordability crisis in half a century and our enemies are on the march across the globe, what we heard tonight from Joe Biden and his enablers in the Democratic Party was doubling down on more of the same disastrous policies that will continue to hurt middle class families. Moving this country back in the right direction starts with installing a Republican check and balance in Congress this November, and rest assured: New Jersey will do its part to make that happen.”

DEMOCRATIC STATE CHAIRMAN LEROY JONES, JR.

“In some of the most trying and difficult times in recent memory, President Joe Biden showed tonight the kind of strength and leadership we all need to continue to move America forward. The President’s State of the Union address laid out a strong policy agenda that will lower costs for Americans, while Republicans continue to push a misguided plan to raise taxes on seniors, people with disabilities, low income families and other vulnerable groups. It’s hard to picture a clearer contrast and a more pressing reason why we must elect Democrats in November.

Thinking back to where we were when President Biden took office — millions of people out of work, COVID-19 ravaging our communities and the country’s reputation on the international stage in shambles — the progress we have made is remarkable. President Biden has presided over the fastest economic growth since 1984.  We are seeing historic job creation, and now, thanks to his bipartisan infrastructure plan, we will be creating thousands of quality, union jobs, fixing over 65,000 miles of roads and 1,500 bridges across the country, and improving our airports, rail, waterways, broadband access, clean water infrastructure and much more. With COVID-19 numbers steadily declining, our leaders can make responsible decisions to ease public health mandates and allow us to return to a more normal life. Finally, we are holding Russia accountable for its unjust invasion of Ukraine with crippling sanctions that are wrecking their economy and with tactical support for the Ukrainians. President Biden continues to be the strong leader we elected in 2020.

There is much more to do to keep wages up and lower costs so working families can get ahead, and we can count on President Biden to keep fighting for us. Now we need Congress to enact his agenda, and we need Democrats to rise up and fight to retain our congressional majorities in November. We will not stop working to make sure we reach those goals, because the stakes are too high not to.

Finally, I would like to recognize the strength and resolve of the Ukrainian government and people as the world continues to pray for the families remaining there and those here in New Jersey, the United States, and around the world.”

REP. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

“Internationally, the Congress must stand with President Biden in support of Ukraine and against Russia’s violent warmongering.  We are eager to pass any and all comprehensive military and humanitarian aid to assist Ukraine in its fight for survival. President Biden has deftly led the free world in united opposition to Russia. The fight ahead is long and I applaud this administration for not forgetting our Ukrainian friends in this dark hour.”

“President Biden’s address is right to highlight the strength of America. The Democratic Congress’s passage of historic stimulus and transportation packages has resuscitated the economy. In 2021, the United States added a record number of jobs. Jobless claims have been at their lowest level in nearly 50 years. At long last, the covid virus is in unquestionable retreat. Our communities are reopening and our schools are in session. But millions are hurting. Their lives cannot be made whole solely by quoting statistics; inflation cannot be defeated by invoking spreadsheets. Our Democratic agenda is an optimistic blueprint for a modern world: to bring jobs home, to expand health care, to prioritize the environment, to care for seniors, to reopen our society, and to shield democracy in America and fight despotism abroad. Now let’s pass that agenda and show what we’re made of. I’m ready.”

REP. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

“Tonight, President Biden showed the American people that we are building a better America for everyone. By confronting the COVID-19 pandemic head on, rebuilding our economy, and investing in our nation’s infrastructure, the President is working with Congress to ensure our best days are yet to come.

“President Biden also made it clear that democracies will not back down in the face of authoritarian aggression. The President has rallied our allies against Putin’s unprovoked and murderous invasion of Ukraine’s sovereign democracy. We cannot and will not let Russia’s presidential pariah get away with premeditated war without serious consequences for the Russian economy and Putin’s cronies. We will continue to stand with Ukraine.

“Thanks to President Biden’s leadership, we’ve made significant progress combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The Administration successfully implemented a plan that ensured Americans had access to critical vaccines and therapies at no cost. These actions saved lives and are allowing us to return to a new sense of normalcy. We also worked together to expand access to affordable health coverage by lowering monthly premiums for millions of Americans and expanding coverage to millions more who were uninsured.

“We are finally modernizing our crumbling infrastructure through historic investments that will also help revitalize our economy and confront the worsening climate crisis. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law expands renewable energy, makes our electric grid more resilient, removes toxic lead service drinking water lines, and ensures Americans have access to reliable and affordable high-speed internet.

“Now we must build on this progress, and tonight President Biden outlined a path forward – providing additional relief to struggling American families, addressing affordability, and strengthening our supply chains to ensure more critical goods are made right here in the United States.”

REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE NICK DE GREGORIO

“Joe Biden did his best tonight to paper over an economy that is in tatters thanks to the highest inflation in decades, along with another preventable foreign policy disaster that occurred under his watch  Josh Gottheimer is so desperate to distance himself from this failing administration that he took it upon himself to write his own address. Despite his invented caucuses and tonight’s presidential make believe, the State of Josh’s Union is a 90+ percent voting record with Nancy Pelosi and AOC that makes him 100% complicit in the far-left policies that are making life harder for Fifth District families. It is imperative that we take back this seat to put a badly-needed check on Joe Biden.”

ASSEMBLY SPEAKER CRAIG COUGHLIN

“I applaud Biden for asserting America’s strength, support, and solidarity with the Ukrainian people and government as they continue to defend their country and their independence in the face of the aggressive and unprovoked violence by Russia under Putin’s regime.

“I echo President Biden’s assertion that, emerging from the hardest years of the pandemic, the resilience of our national economy depends on our ability to prioritize the needs of our working and middle class families and industry.

“This makes the priority of not only once-in-a-lifetime investments in infrastructure, but access to affordable and quality childcare as well as the mental health of our youth, incredibly important.

“Working in alignment with these federal priorities, I have confidence that we will be capable of preparing and building an economy of the future that works for every family and individual in the state of New Jersey and beyond.”

REP. DONALD NORCROSS

“The president has shown great leadership in uniting our allies to take bold steps to confront Russian aggression in Europe.  President Biden has shown that American leadership matters. That when we choose our democratic allies and partners, reject dictators, and strengthen NATO instead of undermining it, we can be a power for good in the world. We stand with Ukraine and will continue to work with our allies to stand up to Putin’s tyranny.

What we heard from President Biden tonight is a vision for our country that puts workers front and center. I share the president’s desire to rebuild our economy from the bottom up by creating good-paying jobs, increasing access to affordable training and educational opportunities, and securing retirement for hardworking Americans.”

I also appreciate the president for mentioning key priorities of mine such as increasing the use of prevailing wage protections for American workers to raise pay and improve benefits; achieving mental health parity through better federal enforcement and oversight of insurers; and combating the nation’s opioid epidemic which has only worsened during the pandemic.”

REP. TOM MALINOWSKI

“Tonight, President Biden called on Americans to unite in defending freedom in the world, and building a more resilient economy at home. As America emerges from the pandemic, while confronting a new national security crisis in Europe, we must bring home manufacturing supply chains and become less dependent on foreign supplies of energy. As the president said, it’s time to ‘make it in America’ – to lower costs for American consumers, to reduce our vulnerability to global upheaval, and to regain the strength our nation needs to lead the world. I look forward to working with him to pass the America COMPETES Act, including bipartisan provisions I co-authored to bring manufacturing of critical technologies back home to America.

The United States is experiencing the fastest job growth in our history, the fastest economic growth in nearly 40 years, and a faster recovery from the pandemic than every other advanced nation. But we must be straight with the American people that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine will affect our economy, including by contributing to rising gas prices. President Biden is rightly calling on Congress to send him legislation that softens the blow.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law last year, is funding investments in our ports, airports, and transportation infrastructure that will enable goods to move faster and cheaper, reducing supply chain bottlenecks. The America COMPETES Act will help even more, by funding an aggressive effort to end the microchip shortage that has spurred rising prices of cars and other consumer goods, as well as my proposal to support domestic manufacturing of other goods critical to our supply chains. These bills will create good-paying jobs in New Jersey, while reducing our reliance on countries like China and Russia in times of crisis.

From solar panels, to microchips, and the aerospace technologies that will take America back to the Moon, our district is already a leader in manufacturing the technologies America needs to be more competitive, and to win the race to a clean energy future. While I agree with the president’s immediate efforts to reduce gas prices, by releasing oil from our reserves and encouraging key U.S. partners to increase oil production, it is simply not possible to drill our way to energy independence. Transitioning to renewables has long been important to protect our environment. But it is also a huge economic opportunity for our state and, in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a national security imperative as well. The only way to break free of foreign energy blackmail, whether from Russia or any other country, is for America to become the world’s clean energy superpower.

The world is uniting with America to meet a challenge abroad, and I’m hopeful that Americans will rise to the challenge by uniting as well. I look forward to working with President Biden to advance his agenda for building a better and stronger America.”

FORMER SENATE MINORITY LEADER TOM KEAN, JR.

“Last night, Joe Biden repeatedly asked our country to ‘stay the course’. That approach is unfortunately more bad news for New Jersey families. On the Biden course, with massive new tax hikes and government spending, already record high inflation continues to surge, America’s borders remain unsecure and we continue to double down on a weak foreign policy that is unleashing chaos across the globe. All with no real mention of the emerging threat posed by China or the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. This agenda is wholly unacceptable as our country looks for leadership to guide us through the mounting challenges we face abroad and on the homefront. With a new Congress, strong leadership and an entirely new direction, our country will recover and prosper again.”